Monday, December 31, 2007

PRECIOUS MEMOIRS...



11;21 am, It's the New Year Eve, a beautiful mild, sunny day in Harlem, and I am working on my organization & planning resolution I entend to resolve in 2008, Plan's are to work smarter, to reduce stress, to keep my blood pressure down and to have Time Management down to a Fine Science so that my events and activities have a nice flow throughout the day,

I think my management upgrade is working better than it appears... ("one's disorganised surroundings can be miss leading when you are re-organizing".... remember that,... it helps with the remedy),.... I'm looking forward to a very productive year that will be a result of better management skills,...

First on the list for today, None Scheduled Activities:...return library books (MUMBO JUMBO,... THE LAST DAYS OF LOUISIANA RED,... and THE FREE-LANCE PALL BEARERS all by ISHMAEL REED),... organize my storage space (a little), do my laundry (finally), read and send out follow-up e-mails (past due), get my $5.00 phone card ready so when the New Year arrives around the world I can give a New Year "Holla" to my folks on the planet.

Sunday, December 30, 2007

NITE-WATCH: GRAND CENTRAL STATION



The night I photographed this image of the Chrysler Building over looking Grand Central Station, I was walking across 42 st.... I usually do'nt walk along this street, because the sights are not that interesting to me on this part of 42 St., but,.... this night I walked down 42 st. between Park & Lexington Ave,... I was in the front of the Hilton Hotel,.... there was a yellow cab parked out front that was on fire, the cab driver was trying to put the flames out with his jacket, I looked around to see if there was any help and there was a group of people standing in front of the Hilton Hotel just watching this man trying to save his burning cab..., I asked did anyone call the fire department,..... they did not respond to me,... they acted as if I was not there,.... I knew everyone that was watching this cab blazing, had a cell phone,.... I call the fire department telling them that there was a burning cab on 42 St. between Park & Lexington Ave. in front of the Hilton Hotel and before I could disconnect the call I heard the Fire engine and police tearing down the street towards us,... as the group of people still stood there watching,...
the fireman secured the area and the fire was put out....I could'nt believe the people just standing there watching this.

That burning New York City Yellow Cab story brings to mind my first New York City Yellow Cab burning experience, I was on the 34th st. cross town bus, going to purchase some 35 mm film for my camera,... which I had with me at the time because I was planning to photograph later on in the evening, but I was completely out of film,

I was on the 34th st. cross town bus right in front of Madison Square Garden on the most light perfect time of day, and this yellow cab was right in the inter section of 34th and Broadway, hood up and it seemed like traffic-light-high-flames were leaping from the engine of this cab,... my first reaction to this scene was to get off the bus and start photographing because it was an amazing moment to be captured, with the razzle-dazzle of Madison Square Garden, a sea of jammed up cars & cabs,... the neon street lights,... the crowded streets,.... it was like a urban war-zone photograph. But... I was on the bus, with a empty camera... on my way to get film...I felt like a raged caged artist....

Need I say,... a few month later I saw that exact...I repeat.... EXACT!!..... scene in Danny Simmons, the artist and producer of Def Jam Comedy's on HBO and on Broadway...(I had to put all that in, because I think it's a big deal).... I said all that to say that... I saw that exact shot in Danny Simmons ONE WORLD MAGAZINE... Photographed by a roaming street photographer....

I'm still trying to get over that "SHOT THAT GOT AWAY".

Saturday, December 29, 2007

NOBLE ELDER BRO. MANSUR SCOTT





I believe I need a DRUM-ROLL to do this "shout-out"!!!...but, here it goes anyway, ...."HIS SUPREME HONORABLE EXCELLENCY",... "THE MAGNIFICENT",... "THE ULTIMATE NOBLE ELDER",... SIR BROTHER-MAN: MANSUR SCOTT....ILLUSTRIOUS GRIOT/MUSICIAN (PERCUSSIONIST-FLUTIST) EXTRAORDINAIRE!!!....OK,.. OK,.... I know, I went a little over the top, but this is where a conversation with Mansur Scott takes my imagination,.... spinning way out there, along with his insights into the worlds and characters of the "outer streams" and his personal encounters, experiences and evolutions.... some Folks "back-in-the-day" called him....."HEAVY" (for good reason)....Folk's do'nt come no realler and stronger that this "real-deal", "Deep-Cat". You heard the cliche, what do'nt kill you, will make you stronger? Brother-Man Mansur had to be the inspiration for this thought.

Friday, December 28, 2007

"HER LADYSHIP LOCKS".....



INSPIRATION NOTE: From my point of view, The Premier Master: Natural Hair Artist of the Land... Howard University Alumni, Madame Anu Prestonia, Owner of Kamit Kinks of New York, She has sustained a hight standard of excellence over the many years, moves and husbands...... as a personality & Sistah Friend, she goes waaaaaaaaay beyond the borders of fullment and cultural illumination....Without a doubt, a friend and a inspiration to me as a artist/business woman....."Can I get a Whooop, Whoop, here?"......Speaking of African Nature Coiffure....I came across a very interesting mathematical element to designing natural hair braids and the African aesthetic......"Copy" & "Paste" and Check out this link............http://www.ccd.rpi.edu/Eglash/csdt/african/CORNROW_CURVES/cornrow_homepage.html.....................I need to research this a little more for my projects.

Thursday, December 27, 2007

"JUST DO IT...BABY"!!!



UpTown Style...Harlem, New York, Dec 2006...."YEOOW SIR......YEOW SIR..... Eeee YEOOOOW SIR!!!....


This Silky Smooth Dapper Up-Town Brother was definitely out to see and be seen,... He was totally, ready, willing and able to strike a "Meeeean" pose, when I asked him if I could take his picture.... Thanks for the memory...

Wednesday, December 26, 2007

OUT WITH THE OLD...




"THE DAY AFTER CHRISTMAS 2006: I walked around the neighborhood this time last year (on a very warm December day) photographing discarded items put-out for random pick-up.... I was not able to do that this year because I was busy with other projects, maybe I can get a few shots before everything gets thrown-out and picked-up........

INSPIRATION NOTE: Please Copy & Paste the link below and go to "Download this talk" & check this talk out by this amazing young woman that lives in The South Bronx, New York, her name is Majora Carter, she is doing very dynamic evironmental work, revitalizing & greening her community. I always need a boost of inspiration to keep me going through my creative day, listening to this talk really gave me the charge I needed.

http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/view/id/53

Tuesday, December 25, 2007

"TO BE GIFTED..."



2008 ENDLESS WISH LIST...
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Monday, December 24, 2007

DRAMA...PASSION...DESIRE'S & FASHION




HIGH DRAMA WINDOWS ON 5th ave....

I titled this display window,... "WHITE-ON-WHITE, BLACK-OUT".... 5th Ave., Holiday Windows, New York City, 2006.

(No image available for this next tale... sorry folks)...

One spring night as I was walking down 5th ave admiring the displayed merchandise in the shop windows, I saw a Homeless Man, looking in Bergdorf Goodmans display window.

With his arms out stretched,... kneeling before the window,... He was serenading,.. pouring out His soul,... with the most magnificent voice,.. paying tribute to an adorned mannequin.

Inside the display window, a huge fan was blowing a breeze through the mannequins bellowing floral printed silk cocktail dress and her long flowing wig......

This scene captivated other people of the night,... we listened & watched Him, from His tangled web, casting the spell that captured him.

"Talk about being swept away".

Sunday, December 23, 2007

HOLIDAY CHEERS & BLESSINGS


"TAAH DAAH"!!!... I Finally made it to the "Big Net".

Happy Holidays and greetings Folks... Bear with me for a few days as I try to smooth out the kinks in working with this blog... technology can be amazing when you know what you're doing... and it can be a pain in the "twink" when you're trying to figure it out.

That said...

The New Year is almost here and it's time to do the annual resolutions, I'll share with you a timely little quote from a fortune cookie I received a couple of days ago.... It stated; "NOW IS THE TIME TO TAKE ALL OF THOSE LOOSE ENDS AND TIE THEM INTO A BEAUTIFUL SHINY BOW"... Now!!..., is'nt that special!!!

My plans for 2008: I am going to continue with my media shut-down... (except for the internet), I have been on this media shut-down for 3 years now, 2008 will be my 4th year, there's too much trauma in the media for my nerves right now, it's having a negative affect on my psyche, horrible for the emotions and the production of ART, especially the type of ART WORK I want to create, or need to create in these "TIMES OF CRISIS". I want to be like the Salmon, and swim up the stream,... not go down the toilet. Ooop's..., I mean,... swim down the Stream... at the end of 2007 I did look at a couple of days of cable TV to check out some movies and to see what the trends are, other than that, I find I can live without it for the most part.

The holiday's in New York has it own special flavor, especially during this time of global warming, This image of a young "Prince of Harlem" among a collection of Black Wooden Soldiers, sitting on his stoop in Dec 22, 2006 is definitely one for my signs-of-the-times memoirs.

(This is just a test practice posting of this blog Folks to get this "Dad Blasted" Thing started... I'll write more later when I know more of what I am doing... but until then,

ALL THE BEST OF ONLY THE BEST TO YOU AND YOUR CIRCLE OF SPECIAL PEOPLE!!!

Peace

Xenobia